1999: Rosanna was certain that she had thought of the perfect gift for Solace. The only challenge would be finding such a specialized item. She had accompanied Solace to a meeting of an advocacy group for the blind and had seen the device. She had been so preoccupied gawking at it that she hadn't thought to get the information on where it was manufactured. Thankfully, she had overheard the owner discussing the merits and at least she knew the name.
Now, one month before Christmas, Rosanna searched the Internet, located the item, but it was in California and she feared that it might not reach New York City in time for the holidays. But what was she thinking? She had a month and surely it would arrive long before the appointed time. She placed the order online and grinned to herself, pleased at her accomplishment. She was a decisive woman when it came to shopping. She loathed waiting until the last minute to do anything—especially buying gifts for the special people in her life.
Rosanna felt that if you cared for someone, you bought their gifts early. Colleagues could wait. It was imperative that Solace be able to open the present on Christmas evening as they planned to be with their respective families during the day. Secretly, Rosanna hoped she would be pleased and show her gratitude in a special way. They had done little more than heavy petting, which left Rosanna longing for more intimate contact. She hungered for Solace in a way she did not believe possible. She became slightly flushed as she thought of the erotic turn their relationship could take. Rosanna made a feeble attempt to bring herself back to a semblance of professional decorum. She was not having much success. She resisted the urge to e-mail Solace as she had already sent many messages that day to which Solace had replied on her break.
Rosanna sat in her custom-made leather chair, given to her by her mother. She stared blankly at her computer monitor, toying with the mouse. She ignored the stack of invoices, phone calls and e-mails that awaited her. She was in no mood to deal with the business of Getting Started With, her beloved computer training company. Had her employees been able to sneak a peak at their boss, they would have been shocked to see her loafing off. She was single-minded about the success and growth of GSW. She did not ask for dedication from her team without asking it of herself. Rosanna attributed her mood to her holiday spirit. She could barely put into words what Solace had become to her.
She was in deep thought and was unaware that she had begun humming a piece the ensemble was rehearsing for their holiday extravaganza. The music had been commissioned especially for the Upper Manhattan Women's Ensemble; and was an ethereally beautiful winter's solstice chorale. Solstice reminded her of Solace. Rosanna found that so many activities reminded her of Solace. Deciding that leaving early would not set a good example, even though she could say she had an important meeting, she settled on reveling in a recent memory, which provided her a huge chuckle. Rosanna rose, crossed her office, hung the "Gone Fishin'" sign on the outer doorknob. This was the signal that she should not be disturbed and the person who did better be interrupting to tell her that the building was on fire or some other such emergency. She removed her blazer and hung it on a hanger in her closet. She then stretched out on her couch and closed her eyes. Rosanna's thoughts drifted back a week when she and Solace had taken their first, and possibly last, trek to the Rockefeller Center skating rink. She laughed aloud.
The day was cold, crisp and blindingly sunny. Rosanna and Solace had just returned from the My Kind of Music CD boutique. They had each purchased a copy of a new artist who specialized in Mozart piano sonatas. The plan was that they would make some popcorn and curl up in front of the CD player in Solace's apartment where it was warm and snuggle friendly. The conversation had turned away from Mozart and onto winter activities that they found exhilarating. Solace had admitted a passion for sledding in Central Park and Rosanna tried to keep the shock out of her voice when she asked if that was something she did alone or with a friend. Solace assured her that she and Jessie always went together. Rosanna let out a silent breath. She knew that Solace was a capable woman, but she still felt an twinge of concern when Solace divulged one of her more risky undertakings. She told Solace that she loved to go ice skating whenever she could. She was standing by the window and while they discussed the prospect of Solace's participation, she looked out and pronounced that it was an excellent day for the sport.
"Come on, Sol," Rosanna pleaded. "It'll be fun." Rosanna turned and looked at Solace, who was standing, arms crossed, shaking her head back and forth.
"You just wanna see me fall on my ass," Solace smirked.
"Although your ass is really cute, my imagination does not run to that particular use of such a fine body part," Rosanna countered.
"You're hopeless, Sanna. What do you think my cane is, a makeshift ski-pole? Blind people weren't meant to ice skate. Swimming, biking, hiking, skiing maybe, but not traveling out of control on frozen water," she finished.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sol. I'll be holding on to you all the time. I'm a great skater. Trust me." Rosanna crossed to Solace and unfolded Solace's arms.
"Oh? And what medals do you have attesting to your prowess in this sport, Ms. Romero?" Solace asked, waiting for Rosanna's reply.
"I don't have any, but—" Rosanna began.
"Exactly!" Solace boomed, dropping her arms to her side. "I need the skill of Michelle Kwan out there holding on to me with an iron grip, not one of the nuts piling out of those clown cars, stumbling all over the ice." Solace looked at Rosanna and they both laughed--Solace at her own wit and Rosanna envisioning the hilarious scene.
"I'm stung, Sol. Do you think I would allow anything to happen to you?" Rosanna pouted, her lips extended in an exaggerated fashion so that even Solace could not miss the gesture. Solace grabbed Rosanna's puckered lips and twisted gently.
"You are a clown, Sanna," she said, replacing her fingers with her own lips. Rosanna enfolded her in an embrace, deepening the kiss. Realizing where Rosanna wanted to go, Solace pushed lightly on her chest. Perhaps skating was a good idea after all. Rosanna groaned softly, her breathing ragged.
"Okay, Sanna. Let's go. But you better keep your promise," Solace said as she disengaged herself from Rosanna, her own breathing shallow. "I'm only doing this for you. Well, maybe a little for me, too." Solace smiled.
"Great, Sol. You'll love it! You'll get such a rush. You can wear something with padding," Rosanna said, smoothly dodging the blow aimed at her arm.
"I'm only doing this because I trust you, Rosanna Romero. I had better come home in one piece, Missy." Solace turned away from Rosanna and headed for her bedroom. She intended to take Rosanna up on her suggestion of wearing padding and decided to put on a second pair of wool pants. She did not care how bulky she looked. Thank God the temperature was only in the low twenties.
They left Solace's apartment and took the bus down to Rockefeller Plaza. They rented skates and made their way to the changing area.
There was a sizeable crowd as the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree was up, in all its lighted splendor, standing eighty-five feet off the ground. Rosanna and Solace stopped to admire the awesome sight before taking to the crowded rink.
Experienced skaters whizzed round and round, darting in and out of slower, more cautious individuals and couples. Before they entered the rink proper, Rosanna turned to Solace.
